Seed bed preparation and tillage apparatus

Abstract

A tillage apparatus for selective primary tillage and seed bed preparation makes use of a selectively moveable primary tillage shank to provide seasonal, in-field and/or on-the-fly flexibility of tillage operation. The tillage apparatus has a cultivator frame, at least one secondary tillage tool mounted on the frame and a primary tillage shank mounted on the frame, the primary tillage shank selectively moveable between a lowered soil engaging position and a raised disengaged position. In a method of tilling or preparing a seed bed, the tillage apparatus is dragged around a field with the at least one secondary tillage tool engaged with the field when secondary tillage of the field is desired, and the selectively moveable primary tillage shank lowered to be engaged with the field when the field is in need of primary tillage or raised to be disengaged from the field when primary tillage is not desired.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of tilling or preparing a seed bed in a field, comprising:
 dragging a tillage apparatus around a field, the tillage apparatus comprising a cultivator frame configured for both primary and conservation tillage, the cultivator frame comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart transverse frame-members and a plurality of transversely spaced apart longitudinal frame-members forming a single unitary rigid structure, the cultivator frame further comprising at least a pair of wheels and a drawbar with a hitch for connection to a vehicle, at least one secondary tillage tool mounted on one of the transverse frame members, a plurality of primary tillage shanks mounted on the same transverse frame member as the at least one secondary tillage tool, and a plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders mounted on the same frame member as the primary tillage shanks and the at least one secondary tillage tool, each of the plurality of primary tillage shanks individually moveable by its own dual-acting hydraulic cylinder in the same direction as an adjacent primary tillage shank and selectively moveable by its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder between a lowered soil engaging position and a raised disengaged position without lowering or raising the frame and without affecting engagement of the at least one secondary tillage tool with soil, each of the primary tillage tools selectively lockable by its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder when in the soil engaging position, the tillage apparatus being dragged with the at least one secondary tillage tool engaged with the field at a conservation tillage depth to perform conservation tillage of the field; and, 
 selectively actuating at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders to selectively lower its respective adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks to the soil engaging position without lowering the frame, the soil engaging position at a primary tillage depth greater than the conservation tillage depth, to thereby perform primary tillage of the field when the field is in need of primary tillage and selectively locking the at least one adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks in the soil engaging position using its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder, or selectively actuating at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders to selectively raise its respective adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks without raising the frame to disengage the shank from the field when the field is not in need of primary tillage to continue performing conservation tillage of the field. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one secondary tillage tool comprises a plurality of secondary tillage tools mounted on the frame in a plurality of transverse rows, the plurality of secondary tillage tools comprising one or more of coulter wheels, tine harrows and rolling harrows. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising lowering the primary tillage shanks on-the-fly in the field. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the primary tillage depth at which the primary tillage shanks are in the soil when the primary tillage shank is in the lowered soil engaging position without raising or lowering the frame. 
     
     
       5. A method of tilling or preparing a seed bed in a field, comprising:
 dragging a tillage apparatus around a field, the tillage apparatus comprising a cultivator frame configured for both primary and conservation tillage, the cultivator frame comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart transverse frame-members and a plurality of transversely spaced apart longitudinal frame-members forming a single unitary rigid structure, the cultivator frame further comprising at least a pair of wheels and a drawbar with a hitch for connection to a vehicle, at least one secondary tillage tool mounted on, one of the transverse frame members a plurality of primary tillage shanks mounted on the same transverse frame member as the at least one secondary tillage tool, and a plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders mounted on the same frame member as the primary tillage shanks and the at least one secondary tillage tool, each of the plurality of primary tillage shanks individually moveable by its own dual-acting hydraulic cylinder in the same direction as an adjacent primary tillage shank and selectively moveable by its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder between a lowered soil engaging position and a raised disengaged position without lowering or raising the frame and without affecting engagement of the at least one secondary tillage tool with soil, each of the primary tillage tools selectively lockable by its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder when in the soil engaging position, the tillage apparatus being dragged with the at least one secondary tillage tool engaged with the field at a conservation tillage depth to perform conservation tillage of the field; 
 selectively actuating at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders to selectively lower its respective adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks to the soil engaging position without lowering the frame, the soil engaging position at a primary tillage depth greater than the conservation tillage depth, to thereby perform primary tillage of the field when the field is in need of primary tillage and selectively locking the at least one adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks in the soil engaging position using its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder, or selectively actuating at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders to selectively raise its respective adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks without raising the frame to disengage the shank from the field when the field is not in need of primary tillage to continue performing conservation tillage of the field; 
 wherein the tillage apparatus comprises at least a front transverse row of the primary tillage shanks and a rear transverse row of the primary tillage shanks, the shanks in the front row in different longitudinal lines in relation to the shanks in the rear row, the front row selectively moveable as a gang between the lowered soil engaging position and the raised disengaged position and the rear row selectively moveable as a gang independently of the front row between the lowered soil engaging position and the raised disengaged position the method further comprising placing the apparatus in a first configuration with the front row in the lowered soil engaging position and the rear row in the raised disengaged position or the front row in the raised disengaged position and the rear row in the lowered soil engaging position to perform primary tillage of the soil with a first equidistant furrow spacing, or placing the apparatus in a second configuration with the front and rear rows in the lowered soil engaging position to perform primary tillage of the soil with a second equidistant furrow spacing narrower that the first furrow spacing, or placing the apparatus in a third configuration with the front and rear rows of primary tillage shanks in the raised disengaged position to perform conservation tillage of the soil at the conservation tillage depth using only the secondary tillage tool. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein in the first configuration the front row is in the lowered soil engaging position and the rear row is in the raised disengaged position. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein in the first configuration the front row is in the raised disengaged position and the rear row is in the lowered soil engaging position. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising applying fertilizer and/or pesticide to the field through feeders mounted in association with the primary tillage tools. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising lowering the primary tillage shanks on-the-fly in the field. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the at least one secondary tillage tool comprises a plurality of secondary tillage tools mounted on the frame in a plurality of transverse rows, the plurality of secondary tillage tools comprising one or more of coulter wheels, tine harrows and rolling harrows. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising adjusting the primary tillage depth at which the primary tillage shanks are in the soil when the primary tillage shank is in the lowered soil engaging position without raising or lowering the frame. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the front transverse row consists essentially of eleven primary tillage shanks and the rear transverse row consists essentially of eight primary tillage shanks. 
     
     
       13. A method of tilling or preparing a seed bed in a field, comprising:
 dragging a tillage apparatus around a field, the tillage apparatus comprising a cultivator frame configured for both primary and conservation tillage, the cultivator frame comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart transverse frame-members and a plurality of transversely spaced apart longitudinal frame-members forming a single unitary rigid structure, the cultivator frame further comprising at least a pair of wheels and a drawbar with a hitch for connection to a vehicle, at least one secondary tillage tool mounted on one of the transverse frame members, a plurality of primary tillage shanks mounted on the same transverse frame member as the at least one secondary tillage tool, and a plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders mounted on the same frame member as the primary tillage shanks and the at least one secondary tillage tool, each of the plurality of primary tillage shanks individually moveable by its own dual-acting hydraulic cylinder in the same direction as an adjacent primary tillage shank and selectively moveable by its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder between a lowered soil engaging position and a raised disengaged position without lowering or raising the frame and without affecting engagement of the at least one secondary tillage tool with soil, each of the primary tillage tools selectively lockable by its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder when in the soil engaging position, the tillage apparatus being dragged with the at least one secondary tillage tool engaged with the field at a conservation tillage depth to perform conservation tillage of the field; 
 selectively actuating at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders to selectively lower its respective adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks to the soil engaging position without lowering the frame, the soil engaging position at a primary tillage depth greater than the conservation tillage depth, to thereby perform primary tillage of the field when the field is in need of primary tillage and selectively locking the at least one adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks in the soil engaging position using its respective dual-acting hydraulic cylinder, or selectively actuating at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of dual-acting hydraulic cylinders to selectively raise its respective adjacent pair of primary tillage shanks without raising the frame to disengage the shank from the field when the field is not in need of primary tillage to continue performing conservation tillage of the field; 
 wherein the tillage apparatus comprises at least a front transverse row of the primary tillage shanks, a rear transverse row of the primary tillage shanks, and a middle transverse row of the primary tillage shanks, the shanks in the front row in different longitudinal lines in relation to the shanks in the rear and middle rows, the front row selectively moveable as a gang between the lowered soil engaging position and the raised disengaged position and the rear and middle rows selectively moveable as a gang independently of the front row between the lowered soil engaging position and the raised disengaged position the method further comprising i) placing the apparatus in a first configuration with the front row in the lowered soil engaging position and the rear and middle rows in the raised disengaged position or the front row in the raised disengaged position and the rear and middle rows in the lowered soil engaging position to perform primary tillage of the soil with a first equidistant furrow spacing, and ii) placing the apparatus in a second configuration with the front, rear and middle rows in the lowered soil engaging position to perform primary tillage of the soil with a second equidistant furrow spacing narrower than the first furrow spacing, and iii) placing the apparatus in a third configuration with the front, rear and middle rows of primary tillage shanks in the raised disengaged position to perform conservation tillage of the soil at the conservation tillage depth using only the secondary tillage tool. 
 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein in the first configuration the front row is in the lowered soil engaging position and the rear and middle rows are in the raised disengaged position. 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein in the first configuration the front row is in the raised disengaged position and the rear and middle rows are in the lowered soil engaging position. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 13 , further comprising lowering the primary tillage shanks on-the-fly in the field. 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the at least one secondary tillage tool comprises a plurality of secondary tillage tools mounted on the frame in a plurality of transverse rows, the plurality of secondary tillage tools comprising one or more of coulter wheels, tine harrows and rolling harrows. 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 13 , further comprising adjusting the primary tillage depth at which the primary tillage shanks are in the soil when the primary tillage shank is in the lowered soil engaging position without raising or lowering the frame. 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the front transverse row consists essentially of eleven primary tillage shanks, the rear transverse row consists essentially of eight primary tillage shanks and the middle row consists essentially of four primary tillage shanks.